ICON MANILA MISSION

OUR HISTORY AND MISSION

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What is Icon Manila?

In partnership with the De Lasalle - College of Saint Benilde, The Animation Council of the Philippines, and Wacom Southwest Asia, ICON MANILA is an annual event held at the Samsung Hall, right at the heart of the beautiful Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila, Philippines. This event gathers the creative minds in animation, film, games, illustration, and visual effects. Event speakers have decades of proven experience in their fields of expertise. Their collective knowledge shared in this event push farther, higher, and stronger Southeast Asia's impact on the entertainment design industry. This is a non-profit event. All proceeds go to humanitarian missions that the event support in and out of the country. This event is also sponsored by the United States Embassy in Manila, ABS-CBN Network, Adobo Magazine, SM Aura, and the Sofitel of Manila.

How we started and what we are doing?

When the typhoon, Hyan, hit the Philippines, Armand and Bing Serrano (who are based in the US) were burdened to help their country. In their desire to help, an out of the box vision was born. Along with Sam Tanner and with he help of a few friends, they started Icon Manila in 2014. This event will generate profit that will be used to help support humanitarian aid to different missions in the Philippines and other parts of the world to include medical missions, educational grants and partnerships with local schools in needy areas and other missions and causes that they believed in.

The first year's profit of Icon Manila was used to help rebuild homes in New Washington in Aklan. This small town by the coast was hit by the typhoon but the people living there did not received any help from the government. With the help of a local church, Icon Manila team was able to locate families whose houses were destroyed by the typhoon. A year after the typhoon hit, these houses were still in ruins. Families were living in one corner of the house without roof. One family was living under a roof that was displaced. It was a horrible sight to witness. Through the profit of Icon Manila on its first year and some help from other donors, we were able to build 5 homes and more homes on the second year. The rest of the years profits were used to fund medical missions, free teachers conference and trainings. We also provided food for feeding centers in Tondo and Bulacan, educational materials and iPads for a school that caters to the very poor children on the streets of Las Pinas. Last year, we helped build a feeding center and pre school in Tondo. We also helped provide a new sound system and roof to the school in Las Pinas. This year, we are looking to be involved in an organization that rescues children, women and men from human trafficking and put them in homes that provides help and rehabilitation.

Through your involvement in Icon Manila, you are partnering with us to continue to support different humanitarian missions and causes.